I thought the milder Irish Whiskey and milder Dolin Rouge would combine well in this cocktial. I was wrong.

To be honest, I just don’t like the Dolin Rouge as a mixer with any whiskey I have tried so far. In this case, it seems to highlight the flabby, malty flavors of the whiskey. The drink also ends up tasting a bit watery. Maybe I should have been a bit more generous with the bitters? Or maybe my Dolin Rouge has expired.

After this failure, whenever whiskey is called for, I’m back to Martini and Rossi Sweet Vermouth. Or Carpano Antica, if I’m feeling flush.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

In August, 1924, an American Engineer nearly died of fever in the Philippines, and only the extraordinary devotion of Dr. B– saved his life.
As an act of gratitude the Engineer gave Dr. B– the recipe of this Cocktail.

To me, the Oriental Cocktail is a very modern tasting cocktail. Compared to many vintage cocktails, it has a fairly large portion of both sweet and sour, making it quite rich in flavor. If it didn’t have pesky Sweet Vermouth, it could go on just about any modern cocktail menu and be quite the crowd pleaser.

Personally, I find it a bit rich, but am never quite sure where to go with that. More Vermouth and less curacao and lime? 2 oz booze, 1/2 oz of everthing else? Certainly can think of worse ways to spend an evening than tweaking the proportions of the Oriental.

In any case, as enjoyable as the Oriental Cocktail is, I’m pretty sure Dr. B– got the better end of this deal!

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

Steep in this mixture the finely-grated rind of 1 orange (carefully removing all the white pith.) Let it soak for one or two hours. Then add ice and shake (I stirred). Rinse out the glasses with Orange bitters (Angostura Orange Bitters).

I still had some of the orange peel infused No. 209 Gin, so instead of taking the long way around, I just used that in this drink.

This was actually rather nice, as prepared above. Orangey and ginny with just a touch of sweetness from the sweet vermouth.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

Nothing complicated here. Orange Juice and gin, that’s it. More interesting than a screwdriver and less interesting than most other drinks. There are a few other Orange Blossom recipes ’round and about that are a bit more complicated than the Savoy. Some including sugar, grenadine, or honey syrup.

In regards the Beefeater 24, this was my third drink of the evening using it and the least successful. I was hoping the slightly complex flavor profile of the new gin would complement fruit juice and bring some extra character to the drink. Unfortunately, the opposite proved to be true, with the added complexity distracting from the simple pleasure and clean flavor of the freshly squeezed orange juice.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass and add a cherry.

I am not sure if it was the combination of the somewhat hot character of the Cointreau and the Beefeater 24, but even after a nice long stir to a quite cold temperature this was a very strongly alcohol smelling and flavored drink.

I don’t know about you, but whenever I smell alcohol based hand sanitizer at work or on public transit, I always think someone is hitting the vodka.

To me, this had a similar character.

Maybe a stronger flavored and sweeter vermouth would have been better at mitigating the hot character of these two strong spirits.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.

Orange Cocktail.
(6 People)Take a glass and a half of fresh orange juice (3/4 oz Orange Juice) a dessert-spoonful of Orange Bitters (2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters), 3 glasses of Gin (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin), a dessert-spoonful of sugar syrup (or a heaped spoonful of powdered sugar) (dash rich simple syrup) and nearly a glass of French Vermouth (1/2 oz Noilly Original Dry). Place the shaker on ice (in the fridge) for half an hour, and then shake with 2 or 3 large lumps of ice, so as not to produce too much water. Squeeze a piece of orange peel over each glass and serve.

I actually really liked the Orange Cocktail. Seems like it would be pretty simple, sort of a Bronx without the Sweet Vermouth. The orange bitters give it a nice refreshing zest, making it a appealing aperitif cocktail. Not too much orange juice, also makes it a bit closer to a Martini, than a Bronx.

The instructions to put it on ice for half an hour are puzzling. When I’ve run across other recipes like this in the book, bartenders often say things like, “there is no way this cocktail would ever be made in a bar.” I’ve also assumed the same, thinking these would be for home parties and the like. However, thinking about it a bit more this time, I wonder if this might be a pre-mixed cocktail. If it was served in a bar, the bartender might have it mixed, sitting on ice, and ready to chill and serve.

This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.